3. Teaching Approach, Teaching Method, Teaching Technique, and Teaching Strategy

To understand more about English language teaching, it is necessary to know the difference between the following concepts:

Teaching approach: an approach is a “particular way of thinking”. In this case, a teaching approach is a set of beliefs and assumptions about language teaching and language learning. Our teaching method, teaching techniques, and teaching strategies will depend on the teaching approach we take. Of course, if an approach is a “way of thinking” or “personal philosophy”, our teaching approach is very likely to change according to our experiences. This means that a teaching approach is dynamic, which is a positive thing. It shows our growth as teachers, and the fact that we are able to change or adapt to the situations that we face.

Teaching method: a teaching method is a systematic plan for the presentation of language, which is based in the approach that we have chosen. A teaching method´s design includes objectives, syllabus, activities, teachers´ roles, students´ roles, and materials. A teaching method will have his implementation phase in the classroom. Basically, a teaching method is a procedure or way of materializing a teaching approach through a systematic plan.

Teaching technique: teaching techniques refer to any strategy or trick that teachers use in order to accomplish an immediate objective. Therefore, teaching techniques are the different teaching practices that we observe in the classroom. They involve skills and specific classroom activities. For example, “drills” and “group problem solving”. The techniques that we use will depend on our teaching method and approach.

Teaching strategy: a strategy is a plan intended to achieve a purpose; it is more general than a technique. A teaching strategy is aimed to help learning take place. It can involve the different ways of organizing the classroom and planning a lesson.